Hightower

The main goal of a neighborhood restaurant should be to serve up community and comfort, and chef Chad Dolezal’s East Austin restaurant fits the mold. The restaurant-bar hybrid is not out to wow you with technique, but it knows how to deliver aggressive flavors. You could call the fried Brussels sprouts with golden raisins and peanut butter or the queso fundido with pork sausage elevated bar food, but what Dolezal is really doing — from charred okra with watermelon barbecue sauce to fried Gulf oysters and grilled corn with cotija cheese — is cooking Texas cuisine.